Following up on Kellys post about the shark dive we did with Waihuka Dive Center, here’s a quick video I put together from the footage that day. Hope you enjoy!

At Cara a Cara, you descend a line to approximately 20-25 meters to a coral ridge that shelters you from the current. Thankfully, the day the 8 of us went there was no current, so we were able to swim freely with the sharks when they weren’t feeding. The dive master brings down a sealed bucket with a fish head in it. The sharks will swim around you until the bucket is opened at which point, they fight for the fish, then quickly disappear back into the blue. Total dive time was approximately 40 minutes and we saw somewhere between 10 and 14 (Caribbean) grey reef sharks..

One of the things we wanted to check off our to-do list before leaving Roatan, was the Shark Dive. It was something we wanted to do on our first trip, but somehow time slipped away from us, and we just never got around to it. When we were back this fall we made sure it was a priority.

Pretty much all of the dive shops or resorts on the island can book the Shark Dive for you, but if you’re short on time it might be a good idea to book this in advance, especially if you’re coming in high season, or on a cruise ship day. We purposely booked on a non-cruise ship day, and got really lucky as our group of 6 were the only ones scheduled for that day. Read More…

No we haven’t fallen off the face of the earth… and no we haven’t stopped traveling. Things have just been a little uneventful over the last 6 months, and I mean that in the best way possible.

When we last left you we had just returned to Roatan for another 3 months. We’d had a great 4 months in Mexico, but were happy to return to Roatan… to familiar faces, and great diving. Work had become busier than ever for both of us and we just sort of fell into a routine. We spent our days working at home, and then usually wandered down to the dive shop for a couple of after-work beers, followed by happy hour at the local beach bar. From there it was either dinner at home, or dinner out… or often a communal cooking night, or BBQ with friends. On weekends we’d go diving, and hang out at the beach, and spend our evenings much the same way as any other night.

While in Mexico, we had the opportunity to do a number of different cenote dives. Frequently found on the Yucatan Peninsula, a cenote is a sinkhole leading to an underground body of water. Often the result of a collapsed cave ceiling, the water is usually freshwater and incredibly clear since it’s mostly rain water that has filtered through the ground. There are hundreds of kilometers of underwater passages beneath the Yucatan Peninsula, though only a handful of locations are actively guided and accessible without advanced cave diving certification. Unbelievably, we even found a house with a private cenote right in the middle of Playa del Carmen on 5th Ave. While we couldn’t dive that one, we did feed the pet turtle and catfish.

When we first came to Roatan, people warned us about the Roatan vortex. Nearly everyone we met told us they had been coming to Roatan for years. Or had come once and never left. And after 3 amazing months on Roatan, it was the first time we were a little reluctant to be moving on. Well, we’re back after 4 months in Belize and Mexico and we’re pretty happy about it. It seems the vortex has sucked us in too.

The first day back, we were just sitting at the dive shop, watching what little traffic there is go by. Adapting back to ‘island time’ hasn’t been hard. It’s nice to be back among the familiar faces in the West End. We made a lot of friends the last time we were here and though many people have come and gone, there’s still a bunch of dive buddies and party pals we’ve reunited with over the last week.

We’re rounding out our time in Mexico, preparing to head back to Roatan, so I figured it was about time we got caught up on things around here. First of all, sorry for the lack of posts lately. Mike and I have both been swamped with work, and it can be hard to motivate ourselves to spend even more time online, when instead, we could be enjoying the beach or the pool, with an ice cold cerveza.

I know we’ve said this before, but Mike and I really aren’t very good tourists. I’ve seen my share of temples and cathedrals, and museums have never really been my thing. That being said, every once in a while I drag Mike out to do something touristy, mainly because I feel like we should… I mean we may never be back, so might as well see it while we’re here, right? The ruins of Tulum, were one of those things.

Unlike most of the people we know, this is our first time to the Mayan Rivera. It seems like most of our friends at one time or another have done a package trip here, and have ended up visiting Tulum. Most people say it’s a “must-do”, so one Saturday when the dive boat was full we decided to check it out. Read More…

More interesting flavours from interesting places. This time, we’re posting our review of the beers of Honduras and Belize. Honduras was a surprise after Costa Rica’s range of very similar lagers. We found Honduras had 4 distinctly different lagers that were readily available just about everywhere. Belize was also a hit with two light lagers and a stout.

HONDURAS

Salva Vida

A pale lager brewed by Cerveceria Hondurena in Tegucigalpa (as are the other Honduran beers), ‘Salva Vida’ translates to ‘Life Saver’ in English. It’s the most popular beer in Honduras and you’ll find it everywhere for a dollar in local shops or two dollars in tourist priced areas. With a slightly skunky aroma and a metallic finish, it’s thin yet malty. Darker than the other available lagers. Overall an easily drinkable beer. 4.8% Alcohol. Read More…

One of the hardest parts of long term travel is being so far away from friends and family. Gone are the long lunches with girl-friends, and Sunday barbecues at the beach. No more long weekend ball tournaments, and no more late night dinners with good wine and good friends.

When you’re constantly moving around, making new friends can be hard. Sure, it’s easy to meet people… traveling has a way of breaking down normal social barriers, making it easy to approach new people and start up a conversation. The problem is, that conversation is often exactly the same:

THEM: “Where are you from?”
US: “Vancouver, Canada”
THEM: “How long are you traveling for?”
US: “We’ve been on the road for almost two years.”
THEM: “Wow, must be nice… how do you afford it?”
US: “We work online…..blah, blah, blah…”

From there, the conversation will progress to where we’ve been, where they’ve been, we’ll compare favorite places and add new ones to the list. We’ll swap travel stories, the good and the bad… and at the end of the day, or evening, or dive trip, we’ll say goodbye. Encounters like this are great, we’ve met so many interesting people. All of whom have helped to make the ferry ride, or the boarder crossing or the night out, all the more memorable. But, at the end of the day you know that most of these people you’ll never see again.

About

After 10 years in the Internet industry, veteran web designer Kelly Hale and developer Mike Schimanowsky (Shim) have sold their worldly belongings, bid farewell to friends and family, packed a laptop and traded in the daily 9-5 for a life of nomadic freelancing and travel.Read More...